sat'-er, sa'-ter (sa`ir, literally "he-goat"; sa`ir, "hairy" (Genesis 27:11, of Esau), and Arabic sha'r, "hair"; plural se`irim): For se`irim in Leviticus 17:7 and 2 Chronicles 11:15, the King James Version has "devils," the Revised Version (British and American) "he-goats," the English Revised Version margin "satyrs," the Septuagint has tois mataiois, "vain things." For se`irim in Isaiah 13:21, the King James Version and the English Revised Version have "satyrs," the English Revised Version margin "he-goats," the American Standard Revised Version "wild goats," Septuagint daimonia, "demons." For sa`ir in Isaiah 34:14, the King James Version and the English Revised Version have "satyr," the English Revised Version margin "he-goat," the American Standard Revised Version "wild goat." Septuagint has heteros pros ton heteron, "one to another," referring to daimonia, which here stands for ciyim, "wild beasts of the desert."

The text of the American Standard Revised Version in these passages is as follows: Leviticus 17:7, "And they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices unto the he-goats, after which they play the harlot"; 2 Chronicles 11:15, "And he (Jeroboam) appointed him priests for the high places, and for the he-goats, and for the calves which he had made"; Isaiah 13:21 (of Babylon), "But wild beasts of the desert (tsiyim) shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures ('ochim); and ostriches (benoth ya`anah) shall dwell there, and wild goats (se`irim) shall dance there And wolves ('iyim) shall cry in their castles, and jackals (tannim) in the pleasant palaces"; Isaiah 34:11, 13, 14, 15 (of Edom), "But the pelican (qa'ath) and the porcupine (kippodh) shall possess it; and the owl (yanshoph) and the raven (`orebh) shall dwell therein:.... and it shall be a habitation of jackals (tannim), a court for ostriches (benoth ya`anah). And the wild beasts of the desert (tsiyim) shall meet with the wolves ('iyim), and the wild goat (sa`ir) shall cry to his fellow; yea, the night monster (lilith) shall settle there..... There shall the dart-snake (qippoz) make her nest.... there shall the kites (dayyoth) be gathered, every one with her mate."

The question is whether sa`ir and se`irim in these passages stand for real or for fabulous animals. In Leviticus 17:7 and 2 Chronicles 11:15, it is clear that they are objects of worship, but that still leaves open the question of their nature, though it may to many minds make "devils" or "demons" or "satyrs" seem preferable to "he-goats." In Isaiah 13:20 we read, "neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall shepherds make their flocks to lie down there." This may very likely have influenced the American Committee of Revisers to use "wild goat" in Isaiah 13:21 and 34:14 instead of the "he-goat" of the other passages. In the American Standard Revised Version, no fabulous creatures (except perhaps "night-monster") are mentioned here, but the Septuagint employs daimonia, "demons" in Isaiah 13:21 for se`irim and in 34:14 for tsiyim; onokentauroi, from "centaur," in Isaiah 13:22 and 34:14 for 'iyim, and again in 34:14 for lilith; seirenes, "sirens," in Isaiah 13:21 for benoth ya`anah, and in 34:13 for tannim. We must bear in mind the uncertainty regarding the identity of tsiyim, 'iyim, 'ochim and tannim, as well as of some of the other names, and we must recall the tales that are hung about the name lilith (the King James Version "screech owl," the King James Version margin and the Revised Version (British and American) "night-monster," the Revised Version margin "Lilith"). While sa`ir is almost alone among these words in having ordinarily a well-understood meaning, i.e. "he-goat," there is good reason for considering that here it is used in an exceptional sense. The translation "satyr" has certainly much to be said for it.

The Adventures of Saint Patrick of Ireland.... Each satyr was armed with a huge club of the size of a tree, which he flourished wildly, and on his other arm he bore a shield of vast proportions, like the .../.../kingston/the seven champions of christendom/chapter nine the adventures of.htm

The Greek Theogony Exposed.... And as for Jupiter, he was a various adulterer, with Antiope as a satyr, with Danaë as gold, and with Europa as a bull; with Leda, moreover, he assumed wings. .../.../justins discourse to the greeks/chapter ii the greek theogony exposed.htm

Isaiah's Discourse... And the wild beasts of the desert shall meet with the wolves, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; yea, the night-monster shall settle there, and shall find .../.../various/select masterpieces of biblical literature/v isaiahs discourse.htm

The Life of Mr. George Buchanan.... dealt insincerely, he commanded Buchanan, who was then at court, (though he was ignorant of the disgusts betwixt him and that order), to write a satyr upon them .../.../howie/biographia scoticana scots worthies/the life of mr george 2.htm

Sonnet... thy soul awes ours: yet thou art bound" O waste of nature!"to a craven hound; To shameless lust, and childish greed of pelf; Athene to a Satyr: was that ...//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/andromeda and other poems/sonnet.htm

Vile Transformation of Jupiter.... In short, he seduced Antiope, the daughter of Nycteus, when turned into a satyr, and of her were born Amphion and Zethus; Alcmene, when changed into her .../.../recognitions of clement /chapter xxii vile transformation of jupiter.htm

Jupiter's Amours Continued.... Then, in the likeness of a satyr, he had intercourse with Antiope the daughter of Nycteus, of whom were born Amphion and Zethus. .../.../unknown/the clementine homilies/chapter xiii jupiters amours continued.htm

Ambrose.... I will first of all speak of his adultery, though I blush to do so: for he appeared to Antiope as a satyr, and descended upon Danaë as a shower of gold, and .../.../unknown/the decretals/ancient syriac documents ambrose.htm

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Hairy one. Mentioned in Greek mythology as a creature composed of a man and a goat, supposed to inhabit wild and desolate regions. The Hebrew word is rendered also "goat" (Leviticus 4:24) and "devil", i.e., an idol in the form of a goat (17:7; 2 Chronicles 11:15). When it is said (Isaiah 13:21; Comp. 34:14) "the satyrs shall dance there," the meaning is that the place referred to shall become a desolate waste. Some render the Hebrew word "baboon," a species of which is found in Babylonia.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (n.) A sylvan demigod, part man and part goat, characterized by lasciviousness.

2. (n.) Any one of many species of butterflies belonging to the family Nymphalidae. Their colors are commonly brown and gray, often with ocelli on the wings. Called also meadow browns.

3. (n.) The orang-outang.

Thesaurus

Satyr... 3. (n.) The orang-outang. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. SATYR. ... The translation "satyr" has certainly much to be said for it. See GOAT; JACKAL. Alfred Ely Day .../s/satyr.htm - 12k

Term (4 Occurrences)... 11. (n.) A quadrangular pillar, adorned on the top with the figure of a head, as of a man, woman, or satyr; -- called also terminal figure. .../t/term.htm - 9k

Dionysia... themselves. Comedies, tragedies and satyr dramas were presented after elaborate preparation and at a great expenditure of money. .../d/dionysia.htm - 10k

Devil (58 Occurrences)... In Leviticus 17:7 the word "devil" is the translation of the Hebrew sair, meaning a "goat" or "satyr" (Isaiah 13:21; 34:14), alluding to the wood-daemons, the .../d/devil.htm - 25k